Coaching Models and Culture

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An Instructional Coach is an individual who has expertise in content, pedagogy, and andragogy, and who works closely with teachers to implement new strategies and knowledge (Knight, 2011).

“Wildcats Statue, University of Arizona” by Ken Lund is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Instructional coaching is a powerful and impactful process when approached appropriately. One of the first steps to start the coaching process is to identify the coaching model that best suits the situation. To identify and implement the best suitable model for coaching is to identify the needs and requirements of the teacher. Instructional coaches use a variety of models and approaches for the coaching process. According to McKenna and Walpole, “there is no one ‘right’ coaching model for all settings and there are models that would be poor choices.”

As every teacher is different and has their areas of concern related to students’ performance, and their professional development, one fixed model cannot be applied. The coaching approach and the coaching model may vary, all coaching models have one common goal, i.e. to improve students’ performance.

McKenna and Walpole (2009) identify the characteristics that are common to all coaching models as:

  • establishing a role for the coach,
  • building knowledge for teachers,
  • choosing instructional strategies,
  • making instructional plans,
  • reflecting on instructional quality, and
  • assessing student learning

To implement and start coaching culture in my school, I would be considering the above-mentioned factors. A coaching culture is initiated, when a relationship of trust is established between a coach and a teacher. A teacher must feel un-threatened to share his/ her areas of concern and weaknesses.

According to Barkley, “the sharing of expertise, and regular exchanges of feedback between coaches and teachers (and between teachers and teachers), are accepted and common practices within a coaching culture.”

 

Coaching method I am planning to employ within the next three months.

The coaching model that I plan to follow in the next three months is Collegial Coaching. In this type of coaching, a colleague/teacher will serve as a peer coach collaborating.

Collaborative work cultures help reduce the professional isolation of teachers, allowing the codification and sharing of successful practices and the provision of support.” (Fullan and Little, 1990)

I will begin the process with the three principles in mind:

Begin as a learner: I plan to begin the work with the teacher as a learner. Each teacher brings in their own culture and knowledge and experience to the classroom. Listening to the other teacher to learn from them and about them will set the foundation for the coaching process.

Collaboration: I plan to collaboratively work for excellence. The teacher and I would collaboratively work with a prime focus on how to improve student performance. The focus of my coaching is to dive deep into learning partnerships.

Focus on Strengths: My coaching process will involve a strength-based approach. Too often we spend more time fixing weaknesses, rather than identifying and highlighting the strengths. By identifying our strengths and the strengths of our students, one can incorporate them into the next lessons.

Start with one teacher:

I plan to start with one teacher in middle school.   I will start by reflecting on my teaching own practices and the challenges that I face. In this way, she will be comfortable sharing the challenges she is facing. I believe that the coaching process will not only allow both of us to indulge in professional conversation but will develop strong relationships with each other with the prime focus to improve teaching practices. I am also planning to invite the teacher after the pre-conference session to observe my class and collect data about my teaching practices and see how frequently I encourage students to participate in class discussions. This will create a return invitation for me and she would be comfortable letting me observe her class. The feedback given by the teacher after the class observations and the discussions on how to improve will help to attain the ultimate goal i.e. to improve students’ achievements. Collegial coaching helps a teacher to become more reflective about their teaching strategies and motivate them to improve instructional practices. It also enhances their ability to analyze their performance.

 

References

Margolis, J., Ryoo, J.J., & Goode, J. (2017). Seeing Myself through Someone Else’s Eyes. ACM Transactions on Computing Education (TOCE), 17, 1 – 18

Chapman, Karen. (2008). Collegial Coaching: Teacher Acceptance of a Model

Nicolette, D. (2015, April 10). What skills does a technical coach need to have? Retrieved from https://davenicolette.wordpress.com/2015/04/10/what-skills-does-a-technical-coach-need-to-have/

 

Collegial Coaching. (n.d.). Retrieved October 4, 2020, from Collegial Coaching Hub website: https://collegialcoaching.weebly.com/collegial-coaching.html

 

The Many Payoffs of Peer Coaching | Steve Barkley. (2018, February 11). Retrieved October 4, 2020, from Steve Barkley website: https://barkleypd.com/blog/peer-coaching-payoffs/

‌Johnson, S. (n.d.). 10 Tips to Get Started with Peer Coaching. Retrieved from developmentcrossroads.com website: http://developmentcrossroads.com/2011/10/10-tips-to-get-started-with-peer-coaching/

Ferlazzo, L. (2019, December 10). Instructional Coaches Should “Center on a Strengths-Based Approach.” Retrieved October 4, 2020, from Education Week – Classroom Q&A With Larry http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2019/12/instructional_coaches_should_center_on_a_strengths-based_approach.html

‌

DeWitt, P. (2020, January 12). 6 Obstacles Facing Instructional Coaches. Retrieved October 4, 2020, from Education Week – Peter DeWitt’s Finding Common Ground website: https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2020/01/6_obstacles_facing_instructional_coaches.html

 

Lancaster, A. (2016). FACTORS THAT MAY LEAD INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES TO LEAVE THAT ROLE: A MIXED-METHOD CASE STUDY. Retrieved from https://uhcl-ir.tdl.org/bitstream/handle/10657.1/630/LANCASTER-DOCTORALDISSERTATION-2016.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

 

Turner, N. (2019, February 19). Time Management for Instructional Coaches ~ What Should I be doing? Retrieved October 4, 2020, from Simply Coaching & Teaching website: https://simplycoachingandteaching.com/blog/2019/02/19/2019-2-19-time-management-for-instructional-coaches-what-should-i-be-doing/

‌

 

Course 5 Final Project: But the Journey Continues…..

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(CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) by Nagarajan Kanna

 

It’s been a long journey and really hard to believe that today, I am writing on my course 5, final project. What an immense learning experience, I had over the past 15 months. This course has slowly but surely changed the concept of the classroom forever. I knew about the benefits of using technology even before starting COETAIL  and would always look for new ways, but the way COETAIL has enabled me to do is incomparable.

Goals for Final Project :

For my course 5, final project, I tried to make the best use of the learning that I had over the course of COETAIL.  

My Goals for this project were :

  • to have a unit on Digital Citizenship;
  • use of a seesaw to develop a digital portfolio;
  • to create a Flipped classroom culture using Edpuzzle so the classroom time can be used to facilitate learning;
  • to have Project-based learning;
  • to do a Global collaborative project ;
  • to create students Blogging culture;
  • to have a Skype or google session with an expert; and
  • enable students to redefine tasks according to SAMR

Unit Plan:

When I planned my project in the month of May, I was teaching Biology and therefore I planned Project-based learning on Ecosystems and biodiversity of different areas and the effects of human activities on them.  Later on, with the change of residence and school, I had to re-plan my final project. Now since I am teaching Individuals and Societies to MYP. I planned a PBL unit on Weather and Climate, where students studied different climate zones. Students were in the role of professional Meteorologists.  In the end, they made videos, using the Green screen, and presented the weather as a professional weather person.

Over a period of 6 weeks, my students had an immense learning experience and they not only enjoyed the unit but they learned and practised 21st-century skills like creativity, collaboration communication, critical thinking etc. 

Here is the weather forecast video made by Year 6 students, using a green screen:

Here is my course 5 final project video:

Special Thanks to:

The journey was quite challenging but I am thankful to my family for the support. I am also extremely grateful to my coordinator Isha Sheikh for providing me support, bringing changes to the schedule to give me extra classes, and emailing parents about the use of devices in the classroom. I am also thankful to my computer science teacher, Laraib, who helped me with the Digital Citizenship Unit.

Although this is my final project, it’s not the end but the beginning of a new journey.  As always, I will continue to be a lifelong learner. As someone said, ” Every story has an end, but in life, every end is a new beginning.”

I warmly welcome your comments below. If you are from cohort 7, kindly click the following link for your feedback.

Blended Learning

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(CC BY 2.0 Patrick Hoesly)

In April 2016, I attended a session on Blended Learning by Dr. Bernard Bull arranged by Concordia School, Hanoi. This session made me curious to explore the difference this terminology has when compared with any other technology-based classroom. As I started doing my own research from time to time, I came across Khan Academy’s Course in partnership with Silicon School Fund and Clayton Christensen Institute. This course finally assisted me in understanding the concept, and its benefits for students.  

So what is blended learning?

Blended learning is the term used for hybrid teaching methodology, that combines online digital media with traditional classroom methods.

Blended learning is not layering your classroom with technology rather; it’s a more personalized approach towards learning, where each student learns in a more individualized way that would cater his/her individual needs, so they can realize their fullest potential. The idea of blended learning is to mix best of traditional school and blend it with online learning to meet the needs of students.

There is no one proper definition of blended learning, but experts, however, have consensus on the following three:

Online material (pre-recorded videos) by the same educator:

At least one part of learning is done online, with some aspect of student’s control over place/path and pace.  The critical part here is student’s control over pace and place of learning.

Learning online means a shift from traditional face-to-face instruction to pre-recorded webbed based instructions. The idea of the flipped classroom can also be applied here.

Flipped classroom makes learning more personalize, give students control over pace and place and to make better use of time. This method of learning has high expectations, and it ensures that each student takes the ownership of their own learning, to a point where he/she masters a skill.

It is, however, important to understand that flipped instructions are just an entry to blended learning.

Classroom activities facilitated by the educator:

At least, one part of learning is supervised by an educator, in a classroom setting, away from home. The role of the educator is more of a facilitator. The classroom activities can range from projects, teacher-led activities, to a paper assignment, etc.

Integrated Learning experience:

There should be a clear link between what students are learning online to what’s happening in the classroom. The data from both online and class activities must inform each other and can be linked together, as two pieces of a puzzle. The class time activities are to emphasize on the practical application of the curriculum. Blended learning leaves more space for student’s creativity and allows them to dig deeper into the topic.

Blended Learning and Bloom’s Taxonomy:

 (Screenshot from Dr. Bernard Bull Presentation: From Blended to Self-Blended Learning Dr. Bernard Bull (ww.etale.org))

Blended Learning in my classroom:

So far, I believe that I am unable to fully apply blended learning in my classroom. There are many reasons and one of the major reasons is the unavailability of devices and Internet at home for a third world country like Pakistan.

Are you applying blended learning in your classroom? If so, I would love to hear about your experience.

Sources:

https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/ssf-cci/sscc-intro-blended-learning
www.etale.org
https://www.blendedlearning.org/what-blended-learning-is-and-isnt/
https://www.mindflash.com/elearning/what-is-blended-learning
https://www.teachthought.com/learning/the-definition-of-blended-learning
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/6722  

 

Connecting with other Lifelong Learners

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Ever since I started with COETAIL, one of my key goals was to expand my PLN. From the very beginning (course 1), my focus was on three main platforms, to expand my learning network. These three platforms were:

  • Twitter
  • Google + community
  • Linkedin

Although, I was on all these platforms even before starting COETAIL, I was more of a lurker. I would log in once in three months and then would not check what’s happening.

After starting COETAIL, I became more active.  I started by following my own colleagues, my fellow cohorts, COETAIL instructors, people in other cohorts and the list goes on and on. As it was a two-way traffic, so my followers also increased with time.

As I strongly believe:

The learning, I attained over the past one year by being active on these platforms, is immense.  

These platforms have served as a root of a tree, and my learning network branched and expanded as I joined many other small communities.

COETAIL Community has always been a key focus to expand my PLN. My activities on COETAIL platform would mostly include: welcoming new COETAIL-ers, sharing my own experiences, gain knowledge from their experience.

As course 5 started; my key focus was to look for global collaboration for which I used Twitter and Google+  community. Thanks to my fellow COETAIL-ers who retweeted my tweets and also shared it on Google+.

 

 

All of these platforms were helpful but, they were not very useful in finding the collaborators.

After talking to my colleagues and searching on Internet, another platform that I came across was Microsoft in Education and facebook page Skype in the Classroom. It was a great way to meet new teachers and students and it proved to be very useful. I had one collaborative skype session, where students from 14 different countries shared their ideas about climate change, and I have signed up for another in the coming week. 

Skype in the classroom is a great way to collaborate and connect your classroom globally. Join the link below to explore it further:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1650668335245711/?fref=nf

I believe that I have been shown a path that I will now follow in my life. My journey has started with clear objectives and I am positive that global collaboration and expanding PLN will be with me forever.

I am already collaborating on two projects that I will start in January with two different educators, one in Italy and the other one in Canada.

 

 

Global collaboration is a great way to expand your learning network both for you and your students.

Are you looking to collaborate? Please feel free to follow me @sitwathkhan or on G+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/+SitwatKhan2

I am always looking forward to, out of box learning. As the world is a global village, so our classroom must be without walls.

 

New School, a Different Role, a Whole New Project

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In May, when I was planning for course 5, I had no idea that I will have to re-plan everything from scratch. My family had to move back to Pakistan and I had a whole new role at a new school in Islamabad. In my new position, I am assigned to teach “Individual and Societies” to MYP 1 and 2.

It was a difficult proposition for me in the beginning, as it was not only a change of place and school but also I was given a different subject to teach. It took me three weeks to finally put all pieces together and come up with a plan.

Course 5 Final Project

This Project itself came along with several challenges; such as

  1. Students in my class are not used to handle devices (laptops/ handhelds) in the classroom.
  2. School neither provide students with devices nor there is any BYOD culture.
  3. Use of technology is limited to the computer Lab only.

Goals of Final Project:

I have planned my final project focussing on the following goals:

  1. Have a unit on Digital Citizenship;
  2. Use of seesaw to develop digital portfolio;
  3. Create a Flipped classroom culture using Edpuzzle so the classroom time can be used to facilitate learning;
  4. Project-based learning;
  5. Global collaboration;
  6. Create students Blogging culture;
  7. Skype/google hangout with an expert.

Digital Citizenship:

One of my very first goals is to teach a digital citizenship unit.

I strongly believe that digital citizenship is the most important unit,  that must be part of school’s curricula. For this unit, I collaborated with ICT teacher, so before students, start using technology, they must be aware of rights and responsibilities of the digital world. I used common sense media resources for this lesson.

I will be running this unit for 3 weeks by using ICT classes and afternoon club time, once a week. At the end of the unit, students will be creating a “Responsible Use Agreement”. It’s  already been one week and students are enjoying the unit and we are having some very meaningful discussions.

Here is my plan for digital citizenship unit:

 

Use of Seesaw:

In this summer, I did seesaw online training and became seesaw Ambassador. As a Seesaw Ambassador, I would like my students to use seesaw as a platform for multiple purposes:

  • Creating the digital portfolio
  • Interclass collaboration
  • Global collaboration
  • Blogging

Flipped Classroom:  

One of my goals was to start flipped classroom with my students so class time can be used to facilitate learning activities. I will be using Edpuzzle for the flipped classroom. Edpuzzle let teachers customize videos from youtube, Ted-Ed, Vimeo etc. I am a huge fan of Edpuzzle and I am using it for almost three years now. I love how it let teachers embed questions and voice note etc. in between the videos. It also generates spreadsheet so a teacher can keep track of student’s performance.

Project-Based Learning & Global Collaboration:

Yet another goal is to have a PBL unit with my students. Students will do PBL on weather and climate. They will be presented with a real-life scenario, in which students will be in the role of meteorologists. Students as BBC frontline meteorologists will prepare 3 days professional weather forecast.

Students will be challenged to investigate by using the different weather instruments, and to prepare a three days weather forecast for the area of their choice that will include maps, climate graphs, and predictions etc.

Global Collaboration:

For global collaboration, I posted on different platforms, such as Google+ communities, Facebook group (seesaw teachers, IB teachers etc.) Twitter and also emailed some of my old colleagues. Many teachers have responded initially, but once I shared some more details the response was lukewarm. I also emailed few people in my PLN and my old colleagues, who will collaborate with me.

For this unit, I will be collaborating with Toby Walker from St. Paul American School Hanoi and Chad Taylor from Hanoi International School. Chad and I, both will be teaching the same unit (Weather and Climate). Toby is teaching History and our plan is to link History with relevant portions of Geography.  Students will be sharing their learning by using seesaw. The final product includes video, blogs etc.  All projects and activities will be shared with the global partner, either by blogging, YouTube video, Google apps, or seesaw etc.

Here is my UbD for Project-based learning on Weather and Climate :

 

Blogging:

Students will give the reflection of their project by blogging, which will be shared with the global audience.

Skype Meeting with an Expert:

I am also planning a class visit to meteorologist department in Islamabad and to have a skype session with an expert internationally. So students can compare local versus International ways of collecting weather information.

Recent Update:

It’s been only one week that I have started doing my project and my students are extremely engaged and are enjoying it. They have also started bringing their own devices to class. I am hoping that the use of technology will prove to be meaningful and will help enhance learning.

Skills that my Students will Learn:

During this project, my students will take ownership of their own learning. I am a strong proponent of the fact that students need to communicate and collaborate, not just within the class but also globally.  At the end, I would like my students to reflect on how this project has helped them expand their Personal Learning Network (PLN) and other learning skills.

Course 4 Final Project: Planning for Course 5

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(CC BY-SA 2.0) by Ron Mader

 

It seems like yesterday that I was thinking for ideas for course 1 final project and now here I am submitting my plan for course 5. My mind was filled with endless possibilities; but after discussing with my colleagues, I narrowed it down.  My role at school will be different next year, as I will be teaching High School Biology and AP Biology. Keeping this in view, I have decided to do Project based learning on Ecosystems and biodiversity of different areas and effects of human activities on them.  

In this project, students will be given a real life problem to solve through inquiry. They as environmental activists and researchers will prepare a sustainability plan. My idea is to collaborate globally (I have yet to work on global collaboration part) with another teacher and students in different countries. We will share our findings and finally come up with a sustainability plan. Students can share their findings through different ways and will have freedom to plan their final project. All project and activities will be shared with global partner, either using blogging, You Tube video, Google apps and Google+ etc.

 An opportunity of learning for me : 

I take this unit as a challenge, as I will be doing PBL with global collaboration, for the very first time. Moreover, I would be able to practically apply most of the things that I have learnt during Coetail, just in one project, like digital citizenship, effective tech integration according to SAMR model, use of social media like twitter as a platform, making best use of visuals and images etc.  

Concerns About Re-designing:

Global collaboration is the biggest area of concern for redesigning. To work it out with another school and teacher for 8 weeks, might create some hiccups. One of my old colleague is willing to do this collaborative project, but there is a lot to do before we start the project.

Shift in Pedagogy :

In this unit, I am planning to move away from usual lecture style of teaching and would apply PBL. I would be making my students responsible for their own learning and my role in classroom would be mainly as a facilitator.

Skills that my students will learn:

My students need to take ownership of their own learning and need to communicate and collaborate, not just within the class but also at a global level.  At the end, I would like my students to reflect upon that how this project has helped them expand their Personal Learning Network (PLN) and other learning skills. 

Here is my plan:

I am looking forward to your comments, and ideas. If there are any Biology teachers out there, who would be interested in global collaboration, kindly contact.

Technology in my Classroom

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(CC BY-SA 2.0) by Lucélia Ribeiro
technology-quotes-6-728
John Dewey (1859-1952) (an American psychologist, philosopher, educator, social critic and political activist)

This is my eighth years in teaching and with every passing year technology is becoming an essential tool in the class.  It’s a big leap from just one laptop and projector in a class to 1:1 tablets and now to BYOD. Initially I had to think of ways to integrate technology, and now I simply cannot imagine my classroom without devices.

Technology has enabled me to accomplish tasks which would otherwise be very difficult to imagine. These devices have not only promoted collaboration in the class but also increased students engagement and created opportunities for more personalised learning.

Benefits of Technology 

I will now focus on the benefits gained by my students for using technology:
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(CC BY 2.0) by woodleywonderworks

Learning multiple skills:

Using technology is my class has fostered 21st century learning skills. At schools, we prepare kids for future careers that haven’t even been created. Skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity, problem solving, curiosity and innovation would benefit them in any career. Technology allows students to think actively about information, make choices, and learn skills, which might not be possible in a teacher-led lessons.

Engagement :

Yet another benefit of technology in the classroom is increased level of engagement. With increase engagement comes increase learning. Engaged students are not passive listeners, but they constantly collaborate, communicate, analyze and reflect upon information and knowledge.

According to Gallup’s 2009, Engagement study reports that 1-percentage point increase on the student engagement index is associated with a 6- point increase in academic achievement.  No other tool can engage students as effectively as technology does.  

Instant access to information:

Another benefit of technology is the easy access to unlimited information.  Seeking information has never been as easy as it is now in this digital age. Gone are the days when students have to go to the library to access information, now information is just a click away. Not only that information is easily accessible but is also up to date.  As a teacher, I have always taught my students, how to search on internet effectively and how to check the authenticity of information.

Learning goes outside the classroom:

Learning is not just limited to classroom but is an ongoing process. Kids of today learn in multiple ways and technology is the biggest role player. Students of today are actively making choices on how to obtain, modify and display knowledge.

Student collaboration and sharing of content:
Technology helps students to work collaboratively and share the knowledge. Students work is not just seen by one teacher any more, but to a much wider audience. Use  of devices provide students with an opportunity to experience each other’s work, leave comment, offer assistance, and involve in discussion.  Technology has also helped students to create their own audience. Students’ ability to collaborate and share content can be further enhanced through the use of apps, specifically designed for this purpose such as seesaw, youtube and Word Press.

 

Sources :

http://www.gallupstudentpoll.com/166037/2013-gallup-student-polloverall-report.aspx

https://www.pearson.com/corporate/news/blogs/research/2014/05/how-technology-can-boost-student-engagement.html

https://www2.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html 

Classrooms of Future

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 (CC BY-ND 2.0) by cykocurt

Ever wondered how classrooms are going to transform in next 5-10 years?
Will even there be any classroom or not?
Does the role of teacher will change or teacher be replaced with some technology?
Or can technology potentially change education for better?

These questions have no simple answers, but undeniable fact is that change is already here and will continue to affect our classrooms in the coming days and most important step at the moment is the acceptance and adaptability not only by the school but also by teachers.

One can find a lot of positives, by comparing the classrooms of today with that of 20 years ago. Classrooms are no longer a place where a teacher is teaching and students are sitting quietly, mere listening. Today, classrooms provides spaces for active learning and innovation; where students and teachers learn together by developing skills such as creativity, critical thinking and collaboration etc.

Although one can foresee a lot of changes in a classroom, but nonetheless education and learning will never disappear, it will just take a different form.

Modern day ideas like Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence have transformed the classrooms and therefore, I will be deliberating on these:IMG_2306

Virtual reality is the term used to describe a three-dimensional, computer generated environment which can be explored and interacted with, by a person. That person becomes part of the virtual world by using glasses, helmets or gloves fitted with sensors etc.

Virtual reality can be linked to any lesson, and students by using simple apps on smartphones and cardboard glasses, can encounter real life experiences, through high quality visualization and sound effects. This was never possible in traditional teaching and students no longer rely on bookish knowledge, rather they gain through their own experience. Just imagine students learning about Jurassic Period and then actually encountering a real life experience through VR Glasses, which can not be taught through either a textbook or a video.

Last year, when I used VR during a science lesson, students engagement and interest was phenomenal; and level of participation ensured learning. This is undoubtedly an onset of a
era in the field of education.

Augmented reality is the interaction of digital world, with user’s environment in a real time. Augmented reality can create endless learning possibilities as it can change the way we see the world around us. AR can help students and teachers to visualise 3D models of real world in real time.  This kind of learning fulfill the need of visual learners.

Future of AR and VR in classroom

In future virtual reality and augmented reality will continue to shape the classroom and will facilitate teaching. This product is one of most sought after as the market’s value for VR grew to an impressive figure of USD 5.2 billion dollars in 2017 from 90 million dollars in 2014. According to an estimate, over 170 million people will be using virtual reality in some form by 2018.

Textbook, worksheets, assignment everything will be based on real life scenarios; worksheets and book will come to life. Education and learning will no longer be based on what teachers teaches in class or what is written in the textbooks, rather what a student experiences and learn through visual interaction.

Artificial Intelligence :

8384110298_da510e0347_b

CC BY-SA 2.0 by 

Artificial intelligence i.e intelligence exhibited by a machine is another application that will sooner or later start to influence education and it is also slowly finding its way into classrooms. AI can be used in a classroom to augment teacher or to help a learner with individualised teaching strategies and to accommodate multiple learning styles. AI provides tools for developing a more accurate and detailed picture of how the human mind works. It will also be able to keep track of students performance, and give regular feedback. I strongly believe that AI cannot replace teachers, but can surely help a teacher with planning, assigning tasks, marking test paper, and keeping track of students’ performances.

Although Technology is shaping classroom and learning but one thing that is important here is that we are moving away from teacher centered classroom, to learning spaces where students get first hand experience and focus is on interaction.

Despite all these developments, it is significant to note that the key to learning is in the hand of learner, technology is just there as a tool.  

 

To Flip or Not To Flip

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(CC BY 2.0 by Rachelle Meyer)

The flipped classroom is a pedagogical model in which lecture and homework activities are reversed. Students watch a recorded lecture at home and do the homework together at school.

A flipped classroom ensures active learning and full engagement of students. It’s a student-centered pedagogy in which learning takes place through active involvement. It undoubtedly a great way to enhance learning, where students after watching lectures come prepared, and the class time is used for meaningful discussion, post-lesson activities, and even doing homework, etc. Students have options of watching the lecture as many times as they desire; pause or rewind etc. and do learning at their own pace. Although the idea behind the flipped model is pretty simple and seems to be quite effective, but not all the teachers are implementing it fully as some are using it partially, while others are using it for some units only. Beth Williams has explained the difference between the traditional classrooms and flipped classrooms in relation to Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Image source: http://nextgenerationextension.org/2013/10/01/blooms-and-the-flipped-classroom/
Original source: Image: Williams, Beth (2013). How I flipped my classroom. NNNC Conference, Norfolk, NE.

History :

The idea of a flipped classroom at a school level came from two science teachers  Jon Bergman and Aron Sams, who started recording their PowerPoint lectures with voice, to help students who missed out their classes because of sports activities or illnesses. Later, they realized that some of their videos were watched by students who were not even absent. Soon they started recording all their lectures and made them available to students. They called it “pre-broadcasting” and students were supposed to view these presentations at home and class time was used for activities and discussion. However, since the early nineties, many university and college teachers would ask students to cover the material at their own so they come prepared, and classroom time is used for meaningful discussion, critical thinking, and problem-solving. But technology has played a major role in its popularity and success. Teachers now can easily record lectures or make use of videos made by other educators and share them with students.

Flipping in my class:

I always wanted to start flipped pedagogy but didn’t know where to start. Two years back, I learned about Edpuzzle and started flipping my class partially in the beginning. I could see a visible change in student’s knowledge; they would even quote examples from video in our discussion and written assignments.

Edpuzzle is a wonderful App to start with flipping. One can use videos from Khan’s academy, Ted-Ed, and YouTube. The best part of Edpuzzle is that it let you customize the videos, by adding your voice, a note, questions, and cropping. I have created my classrooms on edpuzzle and I can monitor whether my students have watched the video or how many times they have re-watched. Among other amazing options, there is one that I always check that wouldn’t let students skip the video, which I find very helpful.

Edpuzzle provides a detailed report on how many times a student views clips and even gives the exact time of viewing, which helps me understand their knowledge and understanding of the particular subject:-


(Screen Shot )

I have found the following pros and cons of Flipped model:-

Pro:

  • Students can watch lecture at their own pace.
  • Classroom time is used for facilitating activities and critical thinking.
  • Since students are familiar with the topic, classroom discussions are more meaningful and develop skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving.
  • If a student does not understand any concept they can re-watch it as many times as they want.
  • If students forget any concept they have an opportunity of going through an older lecture.
  • The teacher can meet individual needs during class time, and spend more time with weaker students.
  • If a student is absent they can always watch videos to keep up with the class.
  • Students are more engaged in classroom activities.

Con:

  • Despite watching a lecture at home, I have observed that the lecture might not meet the need of every learner as a student query can not be answered immediately.
  • Unavailability of the Internet in any third world country sometimes creates issues.
  • Students end up spending more time in front of the screen that might lead to a number of other issues such as sleep deprivation, vision problem, and anxiety, which could be a hurdle in learning.

 Resources:

http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/1534 

http://smarterteacher.blogspot.com/2014/02/4-essential-elements-of-flipped.html 

https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli7081.pdf 

http://www.uq.edu.au/teach/flipped-classroom/what-is-fc.html 

Blooms and the Flipped Classroom

Project versus Project Based Learning

sitwat Cohort 7, Course 4 , 0 Comment

(CC BY-SA 2.0 ) Valerie Everett

Project based learning has become increasing common in 21st century classroom. But the important question is that:

Whether teacher guided projects are same as project based learning?

To answer this question let me simplify it further:

What is Project based learning?

Project based learning is a method in which a student gain knowledge and skills, by working over an extended period of time, to investigate and find solution to a question, problem or a challenge. It’s a student centered pedagogy, that involves a dynamic approach in which student acquire deeper knowledge and master a concept by actively engaging in the process of learning, critical thinking and problem solving.

In Project based learning, the key of learning is in the hand of learners and curiosity help them map their own path.

Project Vs. Project based learning:

It is, however, important to note that doing projects in class is not same as project based learning, the difference lies in the process itself. The figure below indicate the steps in project based learning:

However, doing a project in class follows a linear path as indicated in the figure below:

Here is my analysis of doing Project Vs. Project based learning:

Resources:

https://teachbytes.com/2013/03/17/whats-the-difference-between-doing-projects-and-project-based-learning/

http://www.teachthought.com/learning/project-based-learning/difference-between-projects-and-project-based-learning/

https://www.kingscollege.qld.edu.au/academics/project-based-learning

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